


Priceless

by fab_fan



Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Thieves, Bellweather Unit Unity, Choices, Drama, Exes, F/F, Female Friendship, Friendship, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, Pre-Heist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29083143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fab_fan/pseuds/fab_fan
Summary: Abigail didn’t flinch, “Scylla.”Tally’s eyes widened as Raelle’s head dropped.“She can do it, and we know she’ll say yes.”“No, we don’t.” Raelle countered.“Yes, we do.” Abigail spoke firmly. “If you ask her, she will.”“I’m not asking her.”“It’s the only way.”
Relationships: Abigail Bellweather & Raelle Collar & Tally Craven, Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Comments: 15
Kudos: 150





	Priceless

“We have a problem.”

At Abigail’s unexpected tone, Raelle glanced up from where she had been tracing random patterns with the tip of her index finger into the spotless pristine wood of the mahogany table. The light glimmered like a mirror off the surface, a stark contrast to her weathered hands, already calloused and smudged from a childhood out in the backwoods and an adult life where her hands were her life source. Her pop always said she’d work with her hands.

Not sure he meant it the way she turned out, though.

Not many things turned out the way they were meant to.

The blonde’s gaze drifted to the taller woman, not focusing on her surroundings that were familiar but still slightly off-putting. 

A place that should feel like a second home but never could. Never would.

A place she should belong in, if only briefly, but where she never fit in.

The Bellweather mansion was immaculate. Full of priceless antiques and numerous masterpieces that filled the walls and amazed anyone privileged enough to enter past the gilded gates to be granted the honor of stepping foot where the ancestral home of one of the wealthiest families in the country gleamed like a beacon in the midnight sky of the world. Countless rooms were filled with statues, busts, paintings, and drawings. All from famous artists. A few were so valuable it was a wonder they were not kept under lock and key in the basement of a museum somewhere except for the fact that the Bellweathers prided themselves on not fearing anyone or anything, least of all burglars. Every room was decorated tastefully. Elegantly. An eclectic collection of classical and modern. European, African, and Asian influences. Bold American touches and a subtle mingling of east and west, north and south. Past and present. 

Museums envied the collection. Vied for different pieces. The rest of High Society primped and preened at the works. Gossiped while turning shades of green, jealousy and admiration going hand-in-hand.

It was rumored to be the most extensive and expensive private collection in the country, if not the world.

There was also the little known fact that most of the items decorating the home were stolen.

“What’s wrong?” Tally leaned sideways in her chair to get a better look at the regal woman. She chomped on her peach, quickly chewing and swallowing as a slim finger snagged another piece of fruit from the bowl in front of her.

Raelle tipped her head to watch Abigail Bellweather, heiress to the proverbial crown of the Bellweather line and leader of their ragtag group of art thieves, fold her arms in barely held back frustration.

Raelle felt a slight chill weave through her spine.

It must be bad.

Abigail prided herself on never showing her true emotions. Never being frustrated or daunted. 

She was calm. Collected. A natural born leader who would face all obstacles with her head held high and a challenge in her sharp gaze.

Not sighing heavily and chewing on the inside of her cheek.

“Glory dropped out.”

“What?” Tally nearly knocked her chair over as she sat up straighter.

Abigail rolled her eyes, “Something about her mother...I don’t know. I don’t care. What I care about is that we are one person down, and we are supposed to be stealing the painting tomorrow night.”

“I can get Gerit…”

“No!” “No!” Raelle and Abigail all but shouted as Tally’s face lit up...and quickly died back down. 

“We are not using Gerit.” Abigail uncrossed her arms.

The brunette had vowed to never let Tally’s somewhat boyfriend anywhere near their plans again after he tried to improvise once with a trained bird.

Suffice to say, it did not go well.

At all.

“We’ll just do it ourselves.” Raelle shrugged. She leaned back in her chair, “I’ll cover what Glory was going to do.”

“How? I need you inside the room not out monitoring the cameras and tech.”

“I can do it.” Tally piped up.

“No, you can’t.” Abigail shot her down, “Remember last time you tried? No, I need you with me as my cover.”

“So what?” Raelle’s eyebrow ticked up, “We scrap the plan till Glory’s available?”

“No, we can’t. This is the only night there will be a party at the Camarilla. If we don’t go tomorrow, our chances of getting this drop drastically. I’m talking 10%.”

“Fine. I still think I can do it. Or have Tally switch when you need me. We’ve done it before.”

“No. Not something this big.”

Raelle scratched the back of her neck, “You want me to call Libba?”

Abigail’s glare could freeze lava, “Swythe is coming nowhere near this.”

The fact Abigail’s rival and sometimes acquaintance hadn’t ratted them out both surprised everyone and surprised no one.

Those two’s relationship was strange, even on the best of days.

Tally and Raelle had both agreed to stay as far away from it as possible.

“Alright.” Raelle threw her hand up, “Then, what are we going to do?”

Abigail paused.

She pulled back her shoulders.

Stood tall.

Looked Raelle straight in the eye.

No.

Oh no.

The blonde knew what she was going to say before she even opened her mouth.

She knew it with every bone in her body.

Raelle sat forward.

“Bells…”

“It’s the only way.”

“No.”

“We have to.”

“No.”

“She can do this.”

“No way. Not happening.”

“You know it will work.”

“I’m not listening to this. We are not doing this.”

“You think I want to work with her?”

“I think we can pull this off on our own.”

“Guys,” Tally broke in. She looked back and forth between them, “Who are you talking about?”

Raelle stared at Abigail.

No.

Don’t do it.

Don’t say it.

Abigail didn’t flinch, “Scylla.”

Tally’s eyes widened as Raelle’s head dropped.

“She can do it, and we know she’ll say yes.”

“No, we don’t.” Raelle countered.

“Yes, we do.” Abigail spoke firmly. “If you ask her, she will.”

“I’m not asking her.”

“It’s the only way.”

“There’s another way.”

“Abigail is right.” Tally’s voice was soft. Comforting, understanding eyes glanced at Raelle, “Scylla will help, and we need her.”

“She’ll say yes if you ask her, Raelle. We all know that.” Abigail stared at her. “She might be weird as hell, but she knows her shit. And, she’s still in love with you.”

Raelle leapt to her feet, Abigail’s words like a hot knife slicing into her chest, “No, she’s not.”

“She is.” Tally climbed to her feet and carefully walked toward Raelle, “She cares about you, Rae. She’ll help us. She’ll help you.”

“No, no, Tally.” Raelle shook her head and turned away from them. From their sympathetic eyes that didn’t know the full story. Would never know the full story.

She wasn’t calling Scylla.

Not her.

Anyone but her.

She could handle this herself. 

She could do this.

She didn’t need Scylla.

She didn’t want Scylla.

Not anymore.

Not after...

Her chest hurt.

An ache began to form behind her eyes. A pressure built, but she’d be damned if she cried one more tear over the other girl.

She had to get out of there.

Flashes tried to play in her mind. Like a tattered movie reel. Skipping and stuttering but stumbling through memories Raelle had locked up and pushed down so deep they only appeared...whenever she was alone at night and left with nothing but her thoughts.

_I loved you_

_I love you. I still love you._

No. She wasn’t doing this. Not again.

_Was any of it real?_

_All of it. Raelle. Please. You have to believe me._

The collar of her shirt felt tight around her neck, and her limbs restless with an anxiousness that caused her hands to flex and her feet to beg to move. To walk. To run.

_I’m Raelle._

_Scylla._

This was stupid.

_It’s complicated._

_I do complicated._

“If we don’t get Scylla, we don’t get the painting.” Abigail called out. 

Raelle strode toward the front foyer and the door leading out to her car, her feet picking up speed with each step, “I have things I need to do.”

“Call her!”

Raelle ignored her.

_No matter what happens, I love you._

“Stop being a child, and help me steal this painting!”

The sound of the slamming door met her order.

_Everything about you is a lie._

* * *

Raelle hated this.

So much.

Enough that she’d trudged there early enough for her slowly nursed coffee to have lost it’s warmth and her mind to have enough time to think about things she didn’t want to think about.

The little brass bell above the coffee shop door tinkled as the freshly painted robin blue wood swung open a sliver. Just enough to allow the damp brunette in from the smattering of rain dotting the outside world, her lithe worn baggy brown coat covered frame slipping free from the cloudy overcast grey sky that had hovered over the town for what seemed like a lifetime but had only been a few days and meandered into the bright relaxed cozy interior composed of warm red brick and muted brown leather chairs.

The door closed gently behind the newest arrival, shutting away the brewing storm outside and letting the calming acoustic music shuffling through the strategically placed speakers and the muted conversations of the customers take over once again. A slim hand slid up and a graceful finger pushed a few strands of hair from where they were clinging to a chilled cheek back behind a cute ear to reveal a familiar face that made the blonde’s stomach drop and the world tilt sideways.

It always seemed to do that ever since the first day they’d met.

_I’m Raelle._

_Scylla._

The first time Raelle laid eyes upon a winsome smirk and heard a voice that sent her heart racing and skipping at the same time.

Made her truly believe she’d finally stumbled upon the finest work of art ever created by man.

Unique. Beautiful. 

Indescribable.

Undeniable.

Desirable.

Needed.

If she closed her eyes, she could hear that voice whisper in her ear. Giggle against her mouth as they tumbled into bed, a breathtaking sound that was rarely heard unless it was just them.

If she held her breath, she could feel the gentle brush of lips against her temple as they tucked in close to each other late in the night, the sounds of the city silent in the face of the peaceful bubble encasing them from the rest of the world. Raelle could smell the perfume, soft yet seductive, floating around the other woman’s pulse as she secretly kissed the older woman’s neck before whisking away to another room, a priceless statue that could never be as stunning as the brunette she left behind needing to be in her hands in less than a minute.

If she let herself, she could get lost in memories that lived in her dreams and swirled in her soul.

One look, and she was back in that apartment. Back in that van. Back in that horrible moment.

Back to the very second she learned what was really happening.

Back to every moment before and after. 

Damn it.

Raelle wet her lips.

Scylla Ramshorn still looked more beautiful than any piece of work Raelle had ever touched. 

A goddess made of living marble that haunted her thoughts and crushed her heart.

Dark blue eyes that showed a sense of hopeful trepidation only to those who looked close enough scanned the small cafe before landing on the blonde tucked away in the far corner, chair to the wall and a clear view of the entire room.

Ocean met the sky. A horizon of endless unspoken words and emotions bubbled between them like the waves curling along the shore.

Raelle felt the world fall away.

It always did that.

She was left adrift like a sailor clinging to the remnants of a broken fragmented ship out at sea, aimless and lost until she was pulled ashore by warm arms and reassembled into something almost human by strong hands and soft kisses.

She blinked and Scylla was in front of her, pulling out the chair across from her and settling in, coat hooked over the back of the seat. 

Calm. Confident. Unaffected.

Only the slight shiver of Scylla’s brow and dip of her lips hinted at the uncertainty and agony rolling inside.

The brunette’s eyebrow quirked as she spotted the mug of tea already planted before her.

If she took a sip, she’d taste the spicy sweet flavors of chai. Her favorite on rainy days.

Raelle had lived with her long enough to know what comforted her.

And, she hadn’t forgotten.

No.

She remembered everything.

Every touch. Every caress. Every look. Every exchanged word. 

She remembered Scylla Ramshorn.

Raelle ignored the look and drummed her fingers on the table, letting her eyes dance around the shop. The small line at the register, two men and a woman, the woman the only one in a raincoat and holding a closed umbrella. The handwritten menu on large blackboards behind the counter with flourishes at the end of each item done in different colored chalk. Where the creams and sugars sat next to napkin dispensers and extra to-go cup lids at a little island counter near the pick-up area.

She looked everywhere.

Anywhere. 

Anywhere but where her ex-girlfriend was.

The first time she didn’t look someone in the eye.

She found that she couldn’t at that moment. 

She simply...couldn’t.

“It’s good to see you.” Scylla spoke up first. She hesitantly reached out and pulled the drink to her, wrapping her cold hands around the steaming mug, “You look really good, Raelle.”

Raelle’s jaw locked.

She didn’t want to be there.

She didn’t want to talk to her.

She…

_No matter what happens, I love you._

She wanted it to be like before.

Before Scylla broke her heart.

Before everything turned out to be a lie.

When they were two women in love. 

Sharing breakfast in the morning. Bowls of cereal and hot cups of coffee.

Curled up together in bed. Light caresses turning to heated kisses and lingering touches.

Planning a future. 

A future Raelle finally thought she could have.

Until she learned who Scylla really was.

God damn Bellweather and her need to nab this painting.

“There’s a job.” Raelle croaked. She cleared her suddenly scratchy throat and took a quick sip of her cooling coffee, the bitterness barely registering on her tongue that was suddenly as dry as the desert.

Scylla’s shoulders dropped, “Oh. Of course.”

Raelle did not want to read into that.

She refused to.

Didn’t want to feel Scylla’s heart break while hers was still shattered.

Looking at her own nearly empty mug, she continued, “Tomorrow night. Meet up at 8. Done by 1. We need eyes and ears.”

Scylla studied her for a moment.

Raelle did everything she could to not fidget under the heavy gaze.

She could always feel those eyes on her.

She used to think they protected her. Kept her safe.

What a fool she had been.

She was still a fool.

Because she still wanted this woman. Loved her.

Even after Scylla revealed herself to be a lie.

“You want me to watch the cameras and talk in your ear tomorrow night while you, and I assume Abigail and Tally, try to not get yourselves caught taking something Bellweather could easily buy on her own if she wanted to?”

“Yeah. Something like that.”

“No.”

Raelle’s eyes shot up at that, “No?”

“No,” Scylla leaned forward, “I know you, Raelle. You might think because we broke up I don’t, but I do.”

“Oh, I know you know me, Scylla.” Even saying her name hurt. “How else could you have targeted me?”

There it was.

There.

It.

Was.

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Bullshit.” Raelle growled. Her voice dipped dangerously, “You lied to me. About everything.”

“No,” Scylla shook her head, “Not about us. Not about how I feel about you.”

“Bullshit.” Raelle pressed the flat of her palm hard into the table, “You came after me because you were told to. Because the people you work for wanted me. You…” she swallowed thickly, voice wobbling and lips trembling, “you kissed me and shared my bed because you were told to recruit me.”

“I kissed you and shared your bed because I love you.” Scylla shot back. “I fell in love with you. Just like I chose you. I wanted you.”

“You fucked me _and_ fucked me over.”

Scylla’s mouth dropped open slightly, her eyes widening and narrowing, “You actually believe that?”

Raelle’s fingers curled into her palm, “I loved you.”

“I still love you. You’re stubborn and can be an idiot sometimes, Raelle, but you’re not stupid. You know I love you.” Her throat bobbed, “Just like I know you’ve been wanting to get caught.”

Raelle’s head whipped back like she’d been smacked, “What?”

“You don’t want to do this anymore.” Scylla spoke quietly yet firmly. “You never wanted to do this. You only do it because your friends say they need you to. Because you think this is all you’ve ever been meant to be. Some thief. Just like you think you’re eventually going to get caught.” Scylla tilted her head to catch her eye, “You think you’re either going to end up dead or in prison. You’re hoping the cops catch you and end it all for you.”

Anacostia Quartermaine had been nipping at the blonde’s heels for ages now. The detective was a looming presence that always hovered just on the edge of the periphery. Mouth set in a firm daunting line and eyes dark and foreboding. Only the slight tilt of her head on rare occasions showed an almost thoughtfulness about the criminal who kept spotting her more and more wherever she went. Like how she had spotted the unmarked sedan parked near the end of the block as she walked into the cafe.

Raelle shook her head at Scylla, but she couldn’t speak the words clawing at her tongue.

Because those words weren’t true.

They didn’t exist.

The denials. 

She couldn’t voice them.

She couldn’t lie.

Not to someone who knew her secrets. Listened to her confessions. Had Raelle trusting her with things she never told anyone, not even Abigail or Tally. 

Things like wanting to end it all. Feeling trapped in a job and life with no way out except by cuff or coffin.

Scylla leaned farther forward, pushing into the table, “The Spree wanted you because you’re good, Raelle. You’re really good at this. But, you don’t want that. I could never make you do something you didn’t want to do. I would never want to. I chose you then, and I’ll choose you now. I love you. If you want me to help you with this job, I will. But, I’m not going to sit back and watch you get yourself caught. If I’m in, I’m in. I’m going in with you. I’m going to take whatever it is you’re after and be at your side the entire time.” Her hand inched out across the table, “But, if you don’t want to do this. If you...Raelle, if you want something different? I’ll say no. I’ll walk out that door and you can blame me for the job not happening. I don’t care what Bellweather or Craven think or want.” The tips of her fingers lightly touched Raelle’s bent knuckles, “Tell me what you want, Raelle.”

Raelle looked down at her hand. The way the tender touch felt like a balm she never knew she needed, a warm blanket on that cold day...a love she never believed she could ever have and keep.

A promise she had to tell herself was a lie because it hurt too much otherwise.

Scylla’s voice was a whisper, “My car is parked across the street. We could be halfway to the beach by sundown.”

Raelle’s eyes slowly drifted up to meet Scylla’s.

“I love you, Raelle. I can take you somewhere safe. You don’t have to love me back. You don’t have to like me. You never have to forgive me. You just have to trust me one last time.” Her fingers shook, “Let me love you one last time.”

Raelle stared into the only eyes she’d ever believed in.

Eyes full of love. Hope. An earnestness Scylla had never allowed herself to reveal before.

A future.

Without her friends.

Without Tally.

Without Abigail.

They’d never forgive her.

She’d never work again. 

Word would get out. 

“Please,” Scylla quietly begged. Her hand slid to cover Raelle’s closed fist, “Run away with me. Let’s go to the beach.”

“Abigail…”

“Can find someone else. She doesn’t even need these things.” Scylla squeezed her hand, “Raelle, I love you. I will always love you. Be with me. Don’t throw away your life over this. You have so much inside of you. So much...power. Fire. So much beauty. Don’t make me lose you again because of some hot garbage plan. Not like this.”

Scylla’s thumb and fingertips slipped around and dug between Raelle’s to hold her hand.

“There’s no way out, Scyl.”

“I know a way.” Scylla promised. “Let me show you.”

The cell phone shoved into Raelle’s jacket pocket began to vibrate. She reluctantly tore her eyes away from Scylla’s and fumbled to pull it out.

She quickly read the screen pressed into her hand.

It was Abigail.

Scylla’s voice echoed in the quiet surrounding them.

“Which do you choose, Raelle?”

**Author's Note:**

> There you have it! 
> 
> You know the system, folks. If you're new around these parts, here is how it goes. You read? You get a lovely invisible virtual non-tracking delicious cookie. Read and leave a kudos? Two cookies! Read and comment? Triple the cookies!!!!! All three? All the cookies!


End file.
